


A match made in heaven

by ChocoNut



Series: Many ways to say I love you [5]
Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Confessions, F/M, Post Season 7, Post War, Post-Canon, Season 8
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-14
Updated: 2018-12-14
Packaged: 2019-09-18 06:51:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16990101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChocoNut/pseuds/ChocoNut
Summary: The war is long over and neither of them have said anything about their feelings for each other. Brienne is about to leave for Tarth. She has agreed to marry the man her father has chosen for her





	A match made in heaven

“Lady Brienne,” came a heartbreakingly familiar voice from the other side of the door as the knocks grew louder. Even before he had spoken, Brienne had sensed it was him, his unexpected arrival at her doorstep taking her by surprise. Days had passed since the war was over, but Jaime had neither met her, nor spoken to her. Even during the war and before that, since the day he rode into Winterfell, not more than a few words were exchanged between them, most of them being action plans or battle strategies. Anything other than that was usually a formal exchange of pleasantries.

Brienne had put her head to it countless times, trying to fathom the reason behind his indifference. The only plausible explanation could be that she had been wrong about him all these years, she had misconstrued his goodwill for more than friendship. But over time, she had reconciled to the fact that it could be nothing more than that between them. And that was what led her to this drastic, life changing decision.

Now that Sansa and Arya were happily married, there was no more need for Brienne to stay back at Winterfell. She would be leaving for Tarth tomorrow morning, it was now time to fulfill her responsibilities towards her father and her house. With a heavy heart, she had agreed to marry the man her father had chosen for her, for Jaime had shown no inclination towards her. Determined to be her father’s heir, she had resolved to go ahead with the alliance, no matter how disagreeable her intended might be. She had told no one except Sansa, her plan being to get away without attracting attention.

“Would you be kind enough to open the door, my lady?” the voice grew more and more impatient. “Or do I have to do it myself?”

Brienne decided to give in to his demand. Knowing Jaime, she wouldn’t put it past him to actually try and kick the door open.

“Ser Jaime,” she stepped aside to let him enter. “What brings you here at this hour?”

“I heard you’re leaving at daybreak.” It sounded more like an accusation than a simple inquiry.

She nodded, the familiar squeezing sensation in her chest reminding her that she would never see him again after tonight. She would soon be another man’s wife, a man whose identity was still a mystery to her.

“You didn’t find it important enough to tell me?” His voice shook, an indication of...anger probably? She couldn’t guess. She didn’t want to.

“I have informed only Sansa, I don’t want anyone else--”

“Sansa Stark happens to be the single most important person in your life, I gather,” his pitch went up a notch.

“I had to tell her because I was sworn to her.”

“ _Was_?” Jaime looked surprised. “I was under the impression that you are leaving under her orders.” He paused. “Where are you going then?”

“Home,” Brienne replied, not wanting to conceal the truth from him any longer. “To Tarth, back to my father.”

“Oh!” There was a hint of a frown on his face, though his expression otherwise was quite unreadable. He stared at the floor, lost in thought for a good few seconds. “So you plan to--”

“Yes,” she blushed, before even he could finish. “I have decided not to shirk my family responsibilities anymore. I’m going home to get married. My father has arranged for a match for me--”

“WHAT?” Jaime gaped at her in disbelief.

“I know that sounds ridiculous and unbelievable, Ser Jaime,” she said indignantly, annoyed and distressed that he would still continue to taunt her even after so many years. “But yes, I plan to abide by my father’s wishes and wed the man he has chosen for me. I’m not going to let him down this time.”

“I didn’t mean for it to sound like that,” Jaime mumbled, looking abashed. “Knowing you, I was just shocked that you had arrived at such a decision. If only you had told me earlier, had I known...” he looked away.

“Had you known, you would’ve only mocked me!” Her frustration mounted, adding to it a sudden surge of anger. “What’s the point of telling you?”

“Don’t presume to know everything about me, wench!” he lashed out, equally livid. “In case it isn’t obvious, I have long lost the inclination to mock you.” He stopped to gather his composure. “I was merely trying to point out that marrying some god-knows-who lord from who-knows-where would only put an end to your lifelong ambition to be a knight.”

“I have made up my mind to give that up.” She looked at Oathkeeper longingly, knowing she would have to let go of it tonight. “No man would ever want his wife to wield a sword.”

“Not all men are the same, Brienne,” he whispered, his emerald eyes burning into hers. “But how the hell  would you know? You’ve made up your mind to marry a man you’ve never even seen!”

“That’s how most arranged marriages work, Ser Jaime,” she said sarcastically.

“You don’t have to settle for an arranged marriage, wench,” he shouted. “Why don’t you--”

“Don’t you understand?” Brienne cried out. “He’s a lord, and probably the best I can get, and given my past experiences--”

“Things have changed now, you have proven yourself to be an able warrior,” Jaime’s tone softened . “You’re a high-born lady, I’m sure there would be someone who would want you for who you are, and not for your highborn status or your inheritance... someone you’d love too, and want to marry.”

_The only man I want doesn’t even know I love him, that I’ve been pining for him all these years._

“I hope this turns out well.” She bit her lip, attempting to hide the despair that was beginning to fill her heart. She wanted to get him out of her sight as early as she could. She removed Oathkeeper from her waist and handed it to him. “Goodbye, Ser Jaime, I wish you well for the rest of your life--”

“Goodbye? Is that all?” he was furious. “How could you dismiss me with just a goodbye? And how dare you return the sword again?”

“I’m going to be a married woman soon, I have no use for the sword anymore.”

“That’s all it is for you then.” He looked hurt. “A sword.”

“I never said--”

His eyes shone with indignation. “You decided to sneak away without even bothering to tell me! What were you planning to do? Send me a raven to invite me for your wedding? Or forget that I ever existed in your life?”

Soon after the war ended, Brienne had indeed decided to forget him. It would be difficult to oust him from her heart, but there was no other way. When he returned, a flicker of hope had risen in her, a slim chance that he might reciprocate her feelings, but his silence and indifference over the months had more or less confirmed to her that he didn’t think of her the way she did. She had come to the heart wrenching conclusion that her love for him always was, and would be unrequited.

“How does it matter to you?” She could stand his interference no more. Who was he to question her decisions? “Have you even bothered to speak to me beyond ten sentences all these months? Do you even care if I’m alive or dead or married to someone else?”

“Do you really think I don’t?” he asked quietly.

“Please don’t answer my question with another one!”

“You can’t marry this... this nobody!” Jaime stood there, his arms crossed against his chest.

“Why can’t I?” Brienne asked stubbornly. “He’s not a _nobody_!”

“You can’t, because…” He grabbed her arm roughly and his eyes were fixed on hers, his fiery gaze threatening to sear through her. “Because I--” he stopped abruptly, unable to go on.

“I don’t understand you, Ser Jaime,” she shook her head in disbelief, freeing herself from his hold. “All these months you’ve hardly spoken to me, and one day you just saunter into my chambers and vehemently oppose my prospective alliance? What the hell is going on with you?”

Jaime stood still for a moment, his eyes burning with a strange brightness. “There is a reason I have been avoiding you all these days.” Taking a deep breath, he began pacing the room restlessly. “The moment I saw you again, a whole rush of thoughts flooded my mind, emotions I thought, I would never experience again crowded my heart,” he sighed heavily.

“What emotions?” Would he cease being cryptic and talk clearly?

“After Cersei’s betrayal--” He found it difficult to speak, and Brienne could see the pain on his face. “I became wary of relationships… of commitment. I loved her more than my life, beyond anything else, and what she did hurt me far more than I had imagined.”

_There it is, Cersei again._ She was about to interrupt him and put an end to the conversation, when what he said next rendered her speechless.

“When I saw you again, Brienne, I realized it wasn’t Cersei after all,” his voice was now unusually soft.

She waited with bated breath, her palms clammy with sweat, her heart wishing for him to say what she ached to hear.

“But I was confused,” he said ruefully. “You were sworn to the Starks, your stand had always been clear from the start that your vow was your life, and I was unsure if you’d approve of me--”

“Wait!” she countered, his last statement drawing her attention. “What gave you that idea?”

Jaime rubbed the back of his neck, colouring. “My reputation, the way I treated you at the Dragonpit--”

“I have put that behind me, Ser Jaime,” she cut him again. “I thought that was evident from my demeanour towards you. Besides, you did heed my word, didn’t you? Lord Tyrion told me that you tried to convince the queen as soon as I spoke to you. ‘ _You’re the only one Jaime ever listens to,’_ was what he told me.” She blushed as she recollected Tyrion’s words. “As for your reputation, we both know what I think about it.”

“My brother is usually right about me.” He gave her a charming boyish grin that made her go weak in the knees. “I have always found it impossible to refuse you, wench, be it the Dragonpit or Riverrun. Had it not been for you that day, the Riverrun siege would have ended up a bloodbath.”

“I failed that mission,” she said glumly, remembering that fiasco. “I can hardly take credit for your good deeds.”

“You deserve sole credit for me being the man I am today, Brienne.” He took a step towards her, and she held her breath in anticipation. “I was apprehensive about approaching you because of my insecurity, my fear of commitment after what happened with my sister.”

“I’m not Cersei.” She couldn’t believe his logic. “How dare you decide that the solution would be to ignore me? To... to subject me to this agony and distress that I've been going through every single day?” Though she tried hard to keep calm, her voice was choked and her chin wobbled with all the unspoken emotions that were threatening to betray her steely exterior.

“What else was I supposed to do? Tell you that I’ve been pining for you all these months, fighting against my heart to keep away from you?” he admitted, finally speaking his mind. “Your vow was the sole purpose of your life. How could I tell you that I’ve loved you madly and desperately, when marriage or a husband was the last thing on your mind?”

_He loves me._ That was all she heard. Brienne’s heart soared, and she finally allowed herself a tiny bit of happiness.

“Everytime I forced myself to ignore you, it was an effort that led me to ultimately suffer a heartbreak, every time I saw you battle an adversary, I held my breath and prayed to the gods to keep you safe…” his voice cracked again. “Everytime I watched you fall on the battlefield, a piece of me died inside, and when I heard that you were to marry another man, I could take it no more. It broke me beyond measure--”

“Jaime,” she whispered, overwhelmed and at a loss for words.

“I’m terrible with words, my lady.” He gazed at her longingly. “You know that better than anyone else, having borne the brunt of my sarcasm for nearly a year. I’m even worse at expressing my feelings…”

Brienne took his hand, linking her fingers in his. “You could've told me all this long back, it would have saved us a lot of anguish and agony.”

“My fears got the better of me.” He kissed her palm. “I must say, Cersei was right about one thing,” he grinned, winking at her. “I really am the stupidest Lannister. I was stupid not to have realized that you are my life, Brienne. You always were.”

“Your brother doesn’t think you’re stupid,” she said coyly. “Nor do I.”

“Would your father approve of me, then?” he asked, drawing closer to her. “Or do I have to fight your prospective groom to prove that I am a better match for his daughter? I’m prepared to do that too, my lady. I’m pretty good with my left hand.”

“Are you asking me to marry you, my lord?” she teased.

“I thought you already knew that,” he drawled, his tone matching hers. “Unless, you’re as stupid as me.”

“In that case, we would make an excellent match,” she said mischievously. Becoming serious again, she added. “You’re a knight, Ser Jaime, father would be honoured.”

“ _We_ are knights,” he corrected her. “You’re to be knighted soon, don’t forget.”

Brienne looked at him doubtfully. “Are you sure, you’re fine with your wife riding around the country swinging a sword?”

He tucked a strand of pale blond hair behind her ear. “That was why I fell in love with you in the first place. Never change, Brienne.” He looked at her fondly, running his fingers along her cheek. “You’re a knight, you’ll always be one.”

She put her hand on his. “I love you, Jaime.” It felt as if a huge burden was off her chest. She could finally say it, express herself, pour her heart out to him.

“And I’ve always loved you, wench, I always will.” He took his hand off her cheek, winding his fingers in hers. “Must you really go tomorrow?”

Her face fell. “Father is unwell. I have to meet him. But I promise, I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

“I’ll be waiting for you, my lady.” He bowed, winking at her, and smiled as he watched her blush. Then he was gone.

Brienne stood at the entrance, still slightly dazed by the unexpected turn of events. Leaning against the door, she smiled to herself, unable to contain her happiness. Jaime loved her. She was going to be his wife. Could life get any better?

A knock behind her took her by surprise. Who could it be now?

“I forgot something.” Jaime nudged past her as soon as she opened the door. Pulling her into an embrace, he captured her lips, kissing her deeply and passionately. The kiss was anything but chaste, it exuded lust, sending a shiver down her spine. It was the way a man claimed the woman he desired. Brienne closed her eyes, surrendering to him, her lips and tongue at his mercy as he continued his assault on them, subjecting her to the sweetest torture she had ever endured. The hunger and heat within him seeped into her, filling her with a need that she had never felt before, increasing her yearning for him and leaving a void inside her that only he could fill.

He released her after a few glorious moments of blissful torment. “Something to remember me by for the next few days,” he said breathlessly, holding her as she was almost dizzy and reeling with the impact of his kiss. “So that you don’t go and get yourself betrothed to random lords back home.”

“In that case,” she was panting, still trying to catch her breath. “Why not give me something more? It's going to be a while before I return, so just to make sure I don’t forget…” Her heart thumping loudly, she shut the door behind them. Smiling into his lips, she melted into him once again as Tarth and her groom-to-be were forgotten for the time being.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading. Do let me know if you liked it !


End file.
